Accused Mass Shooter From Motorcycle Club Rejects Murder Plea

Thank you for reading Baltimore Witness.
Consider making a donation to help us continue our mission.

A member of the Thunderguards motorcycle club who was accused of an August 2024 mass shooting waived his Hicks date before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland on Feb. 21. Waiving a Hicks date, which marks 180 days since a defendant’s initial appearance in court, denotes a defendant’s concession of a right to speedy trial.

Eric Byrone Kibler, 43, faces 47 charges, including multiple counts of first-degree murder, attempted first- and second-degree murder, and firearm use in a felony or violent crime, along with related conspiracy charges. The mass shooting occurred at 1301 N. Spring Street, near the Caroline and Hoffman Park basketball courts, and left 36-year-old Anthony Martin dead and seven others injured.

Martin was transported to Johns Hopkins Hospital and pronounced deceased at 11:53 p.m. the same day. Medical examiners ruled the cause of his death to be a homicide.

According to charging documents, the incident occurred when Martin became involved in a verbal dispute over a residential parking spot with the Thunderguards, who were holding a memorial cook-out for a former member.

Video surveillance from the area captured multiple shooters, including an individual identified as Kibler, who was armed with a handgun, involving themselves in the altercation as it escalated.

The state offered a plea deal of life, suspending all but 60 years, with five years of probation. Kibler, who was arrested Oct. 7, 2024, rejected the offer and will return to court June 27 for a pretrial hearing before Judge Copeland.